November - Marathon Middle High School

DOLPHIN PRIDE STAFF
2007-2008
CO-EDITORS
Josh Frank Vanessa Sardiña
ADVISOR
Kathy Loggie STAFF MEMBERS
Jeanette Betancourt
Sarah Bradshaw
Paola Castañeda
Cory Fulcher Alexander Hoffman
Jade Holroyd
Justin Howe
Nicole Irwin
Michael Koppel
John Milo
Matias Pezzela
John Robinson
Michelle Sardiña
Nicky Smith
Cody Stricklin
Andrew Vassil
Annabelle Walker
Kelsey Wonderlin
Robert Wright
Check Us
Out On The
Web At
mhs.monroe.k12.fl.us/dp
By: Nicky Smith
V
eteran’s Day is a time to remember and honor all of our
nation’s veterans. We honor the
men and women who have served our country and have fought for
us. On October 25, 2007, four veterans came to visit and talk to the
freshmen class here at Marathon
High School. Their objective was
to talk about their sights, sounds
and experiences in World War II.
One of the veterans, Alex Laskis,
served in WWII. Victor Rendo,
served in World War II, Vietnam,
and Korea. Along with them were
Gary Johnson and John Dick, who
also served in Vietnam. They had
to face cold, gunfire, death, hunger, and possible injury while over
in other countries fighting for us.
Rendo suffered from an extremely
Alex Laskis former member of the 1277th
Combat Engineer Battalion
Photo by: Dr. Kathy Lancaster
What are you thankful for?
I
t’s getting closer to Thanksgiving so I have to ask: What
are Marathon students most thankful for? When asked this
question, most people will say family or friends, but not everyone responds in the same manner. To find out we had a
group of juniors take a survey during one of their classes. The
results of the survey showed that the most popular response
was friends, with family in a very close second. Some people
chose friends because they are like family to them. Lauren
Green said, “Without my friends I would not be able to get
through everyday.” Students spend most of their day together
and it is no wonder that so many people chose friends.
painful knee injury, and received the
Purple Heart Award because of it. Even
after all of that, Rendo explained to the
freshmen class, “I do not regret anything at all. In fact, I want to go back
(to fight) now more than ever.” The
men had different, but similar stories
of their lives in war. The men all joined
the United States Armed Forces for
different reasons, but they fought for
the same thing: The United States of
America.
Not just veterans from past wars
should be remembered, but also the
people who have recently fought. Men
and women all over the nation who
have served in the Armed Forces have
had similar experiences and are our nation’s real heroes. Veterans are inspiring; they deserve all of our thanks not
only on November 11, 2007, but all year
long.
By: Alex Hoffman
Family is a big part of people’s lives. Out of all the students
who chose family, the most common reason was that their
family would support them no matter what. Vanessa Sardina
had this to say, “I am thankful for my family because friends
can come and go, but your family is always by your side.”
Without their families, some students don’t know where they
would be. The answer “material possessions” was not chosen
by a single student - everyone who took the survey considered either family or friends to be what they are most thankful for. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what they
have, and everybody should ask themselves this question.
This Month's Issue is Sponsored by
The Greater Marathon
Chamber of Commerce
November 2007
She's Back
Marathon
High School
welcomes
back our admired
book
keeper, Mrs.
Patti
Clark.
Living in the
Keys for seven years and
working
in
the office at
MHS for six
years,
Mrs.
Clark left for
some time off. No matter the reason, she is back and better than ever.
She says, “Both me and my husband
knew it was a temporary move.”
Mrs. Clark was born and raised in
Wakefield, Massachusetts, and then
got married and bought a home in
Plymouth, Massachusetts. Her husband is Mr. Curtis Clark, a sailing
and snorkeling charter captain. Mr.
and Mrs. Clark have one son, Garrett Clark, who is now studying
Marine Biology at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.
While living in Massachusetts, Mrs.
Clark was an analyst for Ocean Spray
Cranberries corporate office
in Massachusetts.
After Massachusetts,
the family
sailed to the
Bahamas
for
two
years while
h o m e schooling
Garrett and
working. The Clark family eventually came to Marathon to settle down
so Garrett could enter middle school.
Mrs. Clark’s duties as Marathon
High’s bookkeeper are keeping
track of internal school accounts
(from athletics to clubs and scholarships), as well as District purchasing and payments, school textbooks,
etc. The only regular students that
Mrs. Clark sees are the representatives of the internal accounts.
Mrs. Clark’s coming back was definitely a sight for some sore eyes. The best
way to phrase it is…”She’s Back!”
By: Jade Holroyd
page 2
Middle School Scholar
By: Annabelle Walker
The Stats Man
Math teacher, Mr. Lenning, saved
the day last
year when another teacher
left half way
through the
year. This extraordinary
teacher teaches everything from statistics to algebra to intensive math. And he is willing to help anywhere he can; I found
this out when another student walked
in and asked for help and without hesitation, Mr. Lenning was right there for
them. Mr. Lenning started out in forestry, turned to surveying, and finally
Dolphin Pride
By: Michelle Sardiña
In Marathon Middle School there is an
honorable and determined eighth grader,
with quite a future
ahead of her. Thirteen-year-old Marina
Kay Wiatt is president of the National
Junior Honor Society
and a straight “A”
student. She is also a recipient of
the American Legion Award, which
is given to those who show courage,
honor, leadership, patriotism, scholastic achievement, and unselfishness.
As an eighth grader, Marina Kay will
soon be moving up to high school.
This high achiever’s goals for her
future years include being president
of her class and to be nominated into
the National Honor Society. Marina
Kay also has plans to work towards
her goal of graduating with the
high honor of being valedictorian.
For Marina Kay, it’s not only about
academics. She is also active in sports.
This is her second year as a player on
the Marathon High School Varsity
Soccer team; she is also planning on
trying out for the MHS Tennis team,
this upcoming season. “I just love
being outdoors.” says Marina Kay. It
went into teaching with a certification from
Wisconsin. His
saying for his
students is: “Be
all you can be;
math isn’t a spectator sport.” This
motto also holds
true to his love
of our sports here at Marathon. He told
me that doing your work and putting in
some effort is integral to learning. When
I asked him whether he liked living and
teaching here, he told me that it doesn’t
really matter where he works; all that
really matters is just having the opportunity to work with the students.
doesn’t stop
there. Playing the piano
is also one of
Marina Kay’s
many talents;
additionally,
she is currently learning to
play the guitar
Aside from
everything else, Marina Kay enjoys
hanging out with her friends, wakeboarding, being on the water, and especially seeing new things through
traveling. When asked what some of
her goals in life were, she responded: “I have always wanted to visit all
seven continents. So far I have been
to North America, Australia, Europe,
and Africa. It is my goal to visit
the rest of them, even Antarctica.”
As you can tell, Marina Kay is not
your average student. She is an eighth
grader who already has a high school
credit and is working on two more.
This includes a 10th grade level Geometry Honors class. She is also self
motivated and determined to accomplish her high school goals. As said
by Mrs. Moodley: “Marina Kay is the
student that all teachers dream of.”
March-Off
The band students have practiced
long and hard to get ready for the
Florida Bandmaster’s Association
(FBA) marching competition. The
FBA was held in Fort Lauderdale
on November 3, 2007. Twenty-six
other schools were involved in the
competition. This was a great event
for our band students to perform in
a different area, as well as to see
other marching bands from around
Florida perform. The band members
were assessed by judges in the areas
of musical presentation, marching
ability, percussion, and over-all effect. Our band students went to the
By: Kelsey Wonderlin
competition, but did not actually
compete. They performed, but only
“for comments,” which means they
performed to receive criticism by
the judges and to learn what they
need to improve on. Band Director Stephen Whitfield expected his
students to perform to the best of
their ability, and they did. Band
student, Ricardo Dominguez, says,
“Mr. Whitfield said we played the
best he’s ever heard us!” He noticed that this event had a positive effect on our music students,
and motivated them to achieve
their best in the future.
November 2007 Dolphin Pride
page 3
The Rotarians Of Tomorrow
I Don't Think I'm In
Texas Anymore
By: Vanessa Sardiña
By: Paola Castañeda
I recently moved to the Keys from Texas. Not only am I experiencing a new school, but new everything: different people, food, houses,
the beaches, all of which come together for a completely different
atmosphere. Tuloso Midway High School, my Texas School is very
different from, Marathon High: This includes the lunch, the library,
the classes, and especially the students. The cafeteria in Tuloso was
huge, it had four lines and the food included a variety of food to
choose from, like subway, individually boxed pizza, curly fries, fruit
bowls, wrapped cheese burgers, and you could even make your own
salad. The library was bigger; it had a huge room just for the wide
screen computers, we were allowed to save our unfinished work in
flash drives, floppy disks, and CD-ROMs. In Marathon High, the library is a decent size, but we can only save our files in the computer
or print. The classrooms in Marathon are more organized than in
Tuloso. The hallways are outside while the hallways in Tuloso were
inside. In Tuloso, we weren’t allowed to wear shorts, but seeing
that we’re in the Keys, in Marathon we are. Most importantly the
people are different too. Students in Marathon are more outgoing
and friendly. Students are also more involved in school activities,
and have more school spirit that I have ever seen, bringing the whole
student body together as a whole.
I like Tuloso because of its size and because I was used to the
classes, but I like Marathon High School better because it’s a more
integrated school, where there is a better teacher to student ratio. Of
course Marathon is not as “glamorous” as Tuloso, but there are various advantages being here. Marathon is a better place to learn and
focus on your studies; it is a place where many doors can open for
you, and where opportunities are always in the vicinity of the student.
King Kamehameha
Pigskin Classic
By: Cody Striklin
Next July Elite Sports International is hosting the “Pro-Bowl” of
High School that will be held in Hawaii. Six of Marathon Highs
senior football players have been invited to take part in this prestigious event. We will be able to take part in a football game, tour
the islands of Hawaii, stay in the Hilton Hotel, and meet new
friends, all while having the experience of a lifetime The players going from our team are Josh Frank, Daric Huntt, and Cody
Stricklin. The total cost of the trip is $2,295 and is due by April
of 2008. We have set up some fundraisers such as bagging groceries at Publix on November 17. It would be greatly appreciated if you could stop by and help us out with our fundraising.
If you would like to make a donation you can contact Cody Stricklin at 786-975-7986. Any help is more
than appreciated because this is a once in a lifetime event.
Above: Members of Interact and Youth Act
Service, determination, and the will to big brothers and sisters of the Interact
help those in need are the main aspects students. Another senior, Justin Howe,
of Interact. Interact is a club in particular got a chance to work with the Rotarthat stands out at Marathon High School. ians. “During the Veteran’s Day BivThis club has been involved with the ouac, I helped barbeque hotdogs at
school for several years, and this year our stand. I had a good time working
the tradition is not going to change. with Rotary; they are very good role
President Katie Greenman proudly models for Interact.” Interact has just
says, “I have been involved with Inter- made an addition to their club memact since my freshmen year, so I want to bers by including ‘Youth Act,’ which
have an amazing senior year, and leave is the Interact of the middle school.
the club in hands of good leadership.” Interact members are now their role
The first thing on Interact’s task list is models as Rotary is for Interact. “I like
to obtain a Thanksgiving project, which how we are getting the middle school
benefits families without a Thanks- students involved, because this allows
giving dinner. Senior member Pawee us to accomplish more as a group.”
Sae-chua says, “We have put up boxes Another tradition to the club is to
in local businesses, like banks, insurance complete one ‘big’ project under the
agencies, etc., to collect canned food for hands of Rotary. This project could also
the project. I want to make sure that this involve Hands on Hands organization,
project is a success, since I believe every Kair, etc. In other years Interact and the
family deserves a nutritional Thanks- Seasons of Service club, raised money to
giving dinner.” Another addition to this build a school in Kenya. All the student
project was a bake sale that was held in members funded for school supplies to
front of Publix Saturday, October 27th. help these kids get a proper education.
Freshmen Secretary Marcy Brandjes Interact has been very busy with their
says, “The bake sale was a huge suc- plans of trying to make a difference in
cess, and the community was really will- their school and community. Interact
ing to help. Some people really didn’t and Youth Act has a long road full of serwant any baked goods, but they wanted vice to complete. “So what are we waitto just chip in to help out our project.” ing for, let's help out the community!”
The Interact club works closely with says Vice President Vanessa Sardiña.
Rotary. They are considered to be the
A Frank Act Of Kindness
By: Josh Frank
The three football players hoping to go to Hawaii: Cody Striklin, Josh
Frank, Daric Huntt.
Frank Ferella, owner of Frank’s Grill, is doing his part to promote education. He
has donated free lunch passes to Marathon High School teacher Robert Lalena. In doing
this, a contest is held weekly by Lalena for the students to try and win one of these passes.
Winning, however, is no simple task. Each student participating must write
a read and respond essay. “If we read about needy families, they write about
needy families,” says Lalena. The winning student receives a free lunch pass
on Friday for themselves, and a teacher of their choice. The first week’s winner was Brittany Disdgiertt. She decided to invite Principal Harry Russell to lunch.
November 2007
Dolphin Pride
Death Of A Salesman
Cast
By: Nicole Irwin
The MHS Dual Enrollment (DE) Humanities class, taught by Dr. Elizabeth
Bayerl, recently performed Death of a
Salesman for the DE/Honors English III
class, who read and discussed the play.
As a literature and drama assignment, the
students studied and performed this classic American drama. When asked why
her class performed the play, Dr. Bayerl
replied that she felt it gave the students a
chance to expand their understanding of
their selves and the play. Bayerl gave the
students a real opportunity for self expression and self guidance by allowing them to
conduct the play virtually by themselves. The pupils were given the chance to select
which scenes they wanted to perform, pick
who they wanted to perform, and even improvise. Dr. Bayerl believes that through
this amount of freedom, the students really got to know themselves as actors as
opposed to how conducting a play would
be through a more traditional approach.
In the three weeks the class took to prepare for their theatrical performance,
the students not only read and discussed
the play, but they also watched the 1985
film version of Death of a Salesman, starring Dustin Hoffmann. This was to help
them get a better feeling for the play.
The class was also helped by Ms. Sunny Booker, the current Safe School Coordinator and former drama teacher at
MHS, who helped the students with their
acting and improvising. They also received help from the Marathon Community Theater, getting the privilege of looking through the theaters’ costume room. Unfortunately, the class will be discontinued come next semester, so there will not
be any future performances. However, their
rendition of Death of a Salesman was a
spectacular treat to all of those who saw it.
Building To Succeed
By: Sarah Bradshaw
Marathon High School has been awarded the SUCCEED Grant from the Florida Department of Education.
This grant is for $75,000 and it is to help the Architectural, Construction, and Engineering Academy (ACE) succeed.
Teacher Glenn Naklicki is constructing, with his construction classes, a Habitat for Humanity house. Habitat for Humanity picks a needy
family and ACE builds the house. The final house will be 24 ft. wide
and 28 ft. long. It is being built in four modular sections in the construction lab at MHS and then will be taken to the site by a crane and put together. Students are excited because they want to help families in need.
The grant “is going to ensure that we can purchase all the resources we need to make the ACE Academy successful and to successfully complete our first project, the Habitat house” said Naklicki.
The Academy is open to juniors and seniors who demonstrate proficiency in tools, and understand and practice safe work procedures.
Also, they must demonstrate a proficiency in construction/engineering techniques. The Academy does many construction projects
(building a house for Habitat for Humanity being the main project).
Construction students at work building a demo house for
underclassmen to practice on
page 4
Alisha Anisko……… Willy Loman (old)
Melanie Boyd……… The Receptionist, Jenny
Eric Carey…………. Biff Loman (young), Stanley
Katie Greenman……. Stage Manager
Jay Hegland……….. Biff Loman (old)
George Hoffman…... Willy Loman (young)
Sean O’Connor…..… Happy Loman
John Robinson……… Howard
Katherine Tezanos…. Kinda Loman
Alex Wolfe………… Willy Loman
Katherine Tezanos, Alisha Anisko, and John Robinson perform
Ciao, Marathon
By: Matteo Cuccuru
Guest columnist and Exchange student from Italy
The Rotary Club was formed in 1905 by the
lawyer Paul Harris in Chicago. The Rotary Club provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations and helps goodwill
and peace in the world. The clubs are non-political, non-religious, and open to all cultures and races.
One important program on which the club relies is the youth exchange: starting from the 1920's
more than 8,000 young people each year have experiences like these through Rotary Youth Exchange. As an exchange student, you are an ambassador, teaching people about your country, culture, and ideas. You can
help bring the world closer and make some good friends in the process.
When I was in Italy, I really wanted to go and study abroad, learn a new language, make a different life experience and travel. And now here I am in the U.S.
I really wanted to come here, maybe because it is the country in which you
can find many different cultures, such different people who live together.
The Rotary Club gave me this opportunity and I am so grateful for this. Even though I’ve already traveled with my family among Europe, this is the first time for me outside of my continent.
Everything has been an adventure since I left my city. My new life started about two months ago, and immediately I had
to face the total different American school system. At first I had to
switch a lot of subjects, because they were too easy for my standards.
In spite of this, American school is better for some reasons, for example here you can take your studies deeper into more practical things,
like using labs and choosing a lot of subjects that are totally new for
me such as construction, art design and computers. Although the school
is easier than the Italian one, here I have more time to enjoy myself.
So in conclusion, for anybody who is thinking about doing a school year abroad
I say do it, it will be an experience that will make you opbvvbven your eyes,
you’ll meet a lot of new people, you’ll have a great time and you’ll even learn a
new language.